Continuing maladies that afflict man and other animals are tooth decay and tooth loss. Both of these afflictions have been subjected to much study and application of dental therapeutic measures with marginal success to date.
One aspect of dental therapy that has received attention is the understanding of and attempts at overcoming periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a general term that encompasses diseases that affect the gingiva and diseases that affect the supporting connective tissue and alveolar bone which anchors the teeth in the jaws. A particular periodontal disease that can occur in individuals is periodontitis where connective tissue such as periodontal ligament tissue is lost, alveolar bone is resorbed and periodontal pockets are formed. In more advanced stages of such a periodontal disease, teeth become loosened and may eventually be lost. Periodontal diseases including periodontitis are caused by an accumulation of bacteria on the surface of the tooth and under the gingiva. Elimination of bacterial infection is key to the successful treatment of periodontal disease.
It has been known for some time that silver compounds exhibit antimicrobial activity. Currently, this knowledge is most often exploited in the treatment of burn wounds. There appear to have been limited attempts to use silver compounds in the treatment of periodontal disease. Silver sulfadiazine, when applied topically to the supragingival tooth surface in a gel base, has been shown both to prevent and to reduce gingival inflammation and plaque formation in beagle dogs (T. H. Howell et al., J. Periodontal Res. 25:197-200 (1990) and T. H. Howell et al., J. Clin. Periodontal. 17: 734-737 (1990)). However, these findings apparently have not been further pursued. Potential drawbacks to using silver compounds supragingivally in the treatment of periodontal disease are the staining of teeth and oral mucosa and the unpleasant taste that such treatment engenders. Thus, a potent, microbiocidally effective formulation that is locally applied subgingivally would provide a significant improvement in the treatment of periodontal disease.